One person has been confirmed dead and 99 were unaccounted for today almost 30 hours after the catastrophic partial collapse of a 12-storey, 136-unit apartment building in the Surfside district of Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Rescue crews have worked around the clock looking for survivors amid unstable rubble after the northeast part of the 40-year-old building gave way at around 1.20am local time on Thursday, 24 June.
The unexplained collapse affected around 55 apartments at a time when most residents would be expected to be asleep.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue service (MDFR) said 35 people have been rescued, 10 of whom were treated for injuries.Â
Teams have been using sniffer dogs and listening devices to try and locate survivors amid the wreckage (Miami-Dade Fire Rescue)
Teams have been using sniffer dogs and listening devices to try and locate survivors amid the wreckage.
The building at Champlain Towers, 8777 Collins Avenue, was in the early stages of its 40-year recertification process, reports The Miami Herald.
Today, US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Florida and ordered federal assistance.
More updates are expected today.
Top image: Some 55 apartments were affected by the collapse of the 12-storey, 136-unit apartment building in the Surfside district (Miami-Dade Fire Rescue)
